Originally published at: Sotomayor Blasts Majority For ‘Unleashing Chaos’ With New, 6-3 Anti-Agency Decision
The Supreme Court on Thursday extended its record of anti-agency rulings, this time upending how the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adjudicates some of its cases — a process blessed by Congress. This undermining of both agency and congressional power demonstrates a danger beyond curtailing how the SEC can go after fraudsters, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote…
1 Like
But of course all those million dollar checks coming the Justices way is not corruption because is not a bribe is gratitude.
23 Likes
Mitch McConnell is the gravedigger of democracy, and John Roberts drives the hearse.
35 Likes
This is so vile, it makes me ill:
The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a controversial proposed Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan that would have provided billions of dollars to help address the nation’s opioid crisis in exchange for protecting the family that owns the company from future lawsuits.
Justice Brown joined the majority; Kavanaugh did not. Interesting combination.
10 Likes
So, with this case released, I have expectations that SCOTUS will throw the entire US regulatory environment into the trash bin with their upcoming Chevron case and find that Congress will have to write every single regulatory rule and not allow federal agencies to write the regs. Complete and utter insanity, but hey, it’s not your father’s SCOTUS!
19 Likes
Wait until the good stuff comes out…it’s always last. Right now SCOTUS is managing perceptions. Next week will rock!
5 Likes
I suspect juries will be quite a lot more punitive against our securities-fraud overlords than the regulatory-captured SEC administrators. Be careful what you wish for.
21 Likes
Robert’s hearse been on the move since Citizens United. Several disastrous stops on his route.
13 Likes
I bet they get big tips for their services from the billionaires.
Does this mean Trump can sell off his TMTG stock before September now?
6 Likes
During the debate this evening, I really hope Biden drives home the current court’s hostility to:
- Women’s bodily autonomy
- Government agencies created to safeguard our environment, financial, and regulatory systems
- Student debt relief
- Voting rights
He needs to ask the open-ended question - do you like what you see? Wouldn’t it be better to have a court that better reflects majority opinion, is bound by a code of ethics, and doesn’t engage in ‘screw you, I’ve got a life-time appointment’ judgments?
Now is the time to start talking about reforming SCOTUS while also driving home the fact that TFG outsourced all his SCOTUS appointments to a group in the thrall of billionaires who have a different opinion of who America works for.
EDIT: I really want Biden to ask TFG if he likes the obvious corruption of the court, specifically Thomas and Alito.
15 Likes
Indeed. Securities litigation is usually thought of as an insider game very friendly to the financial institutions. Given the deep pockets of many of the participants it’s not obvious why on earth they want to be in front of a jury. It will almost certainly not go well for them.
13 Likes
My daughter is a lawyer for the Department of Labor. They’re trying to gird themselves. Once Trump learns that there IS a Department of Labor, he’ll try to decimate it. I’m so hoping she doesn’t lose her job. She works on the silica issue - helping sick miners who all vote for Trump of course.
19 Likes
Destroy the agencies. I recall observers saying that Saint Ronnie and then Bush the Elder were hired to do this.
These current thugs on the Sup Ct have issued the death warrant for the agencies as those two jerks – Ronnie and George Senior – failed to do.
ETA: And lest we forget, the decision on the bribery cases sprays some deodorant on their own corruption.
OT, but this “list” of federal workers is frightening. What Robespierre compiled this list?
Round up the usual suspects indeed.
12 Likes
Forget it Jake, it’s Casablanca.
2 Likes
This is the reason McConnell put these fascists on the court, the destruction of the administrative state. The rethugs have used abortion and other religious hot buttons to gain power. They couldn’t give half a shit about them. They are the route to open season on the balance of power and it is working. Project 2025 will finish us off.
10 Likes
Chaos, while true, misses what’s going on. The right-wing Federalist Society Court majority has unleashed a number of decisions protecting capitalists and their politicians against government regulation, under the guise of Constitutional protections. This is the “libertarian” wing of American capital retaking ground lost in the early 20th century, the New Deal and the 1950’s through early 1970’s. And this Court has only gotten started… The “great victories” of liberals are turning out be mirages, relatively easy to peck away at and eventually reverse, as the base sector of Anerican capital reasserts itself.
12 Likes
So the next stop on this dumpster fire tour would be to find a way to mandate arbitration for all cases and get it out of the hands of juries.
I’m being facetious, but I can imagine a vote or two for such a scheme despite how absurd that would be to argue.
10 Likes
The radicals on the Court will not stop until they have rendered national regulations of air, water, and preventing global warming and pollution completely toothless. They are undoing the last 100+ years of protections for Americans as part of their reactionary agenda.
The corrupt Court is doing exactly what the GOP wants.
11 Likes
SCOTU$ and the GOP were corrupted by precisely the same force. They are both doing the will of Organized Money.
Democracy got in the way of profits and billionaire egos.
7 Likes
For the past couple of days folks here have been talking about a bribery decision, but I never saw any TPM articles about it.
Can someone either give me the executive summary, or link to an analysis (written for non-lawyers) of the decision?
ETA: finally read today’s MM with video form Chris Hayes explaining it.
2 Likes